By JAKE ELLISON, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Updated 12:38 pm, Wednesday, February 20, 2013

One of a an animated set of three images from NASA's Curiosity rover shows the rover's drill in action on Feb. 8, 2013, or Sol 182, Curiosity's 182nd Martian day of operations. This was the first use of the drill for rock sample collection. The target was a rock called "John Klein," in the Yellowknife Bay region of Gale Crater on Mars. This set of images was obtained by Curiosity's right front Hazard-Avoidance camera on Feb. 8, 2013, or Sol 182. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

One of a an animated set of three images from NASA's Curiosity...

One of a an animated set of three images from NASA's Curiosity rover shows the rover's drill in action on Feb. 8, 2013, or Sol 182, Curiosity's 182nd Martian day of operations. This was the first use of the drill for rock sample collection. The target was a rock called "John Klein," in the Yellowknife Bay region of Gale Crater on Mars. This set of images was obtained by Curiosity's right front Hazard-Avoidance camera on Feb. 8, 2013, or Sol 182. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

One of a an animated set of three images from NASA's Curiosity...

One of a an animated set of three images from NASA's Curiosity rover shows the rover's drill in action on Feb. 8, 2013, or Sol 182, Curiosity's 182nd Martian day of operations. This was the first use of the drill for rock sample collection. The target was a rock called "John Klein," in the Yellowknife Bay region of Gale Crater on Mars. This set of images was obtained by Curiosity's right front Hazard-Avoidance camera on Feb. 8, 2013, or Sol 182. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

One of a an animated set of three images from NASA's Curiosity...

This image released by NASA on Saturday Feb. 9, 2013 shows a fresh drill hole, center, made by the Curiosity rover on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 next to an earlier test hole. Curiosity has completed its first drill into a Martian rock, a huge milestone since landing in an ancient crater in August 2012.

Photo: AP

This image released by NASA on Saturday Feb. 9, 2013 shows a fresh...

This rectangular version of a self-portrait of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity combines dozens of exposures taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the 177th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Feb. 3, 2013). The rover is positioned at a patch of flat outcrop called "John Klein," which was selected as the site for the first rock-drilling activities by Curiosity. The self-portrait was acquired to document the drilling site. The rover's robotic arm is not visible in the mosaic. MAHLI, which took the component images for this mosaic, is mounted on a turret at the end of the arm. Wrist motions and turret rotations on the arm allowed MAHLI to acquire the mosaic's component images. The arm was positioned out of the shot in the images or portions of images used in the mosaic. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, developed, built and operates MAHLI. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Image Credit:NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Photo: NASA

This rectangular version of a self-portrait of NASA's Mars rover...

As NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity neared the ninth anniversary of its landing on Mars, the rover was working in the 'Matijevic Hill' area seen in this view from Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam). Opportunity landed Jan. 24, 2004, PST (Jan. 25 UTC). The landing site was about 12 miles (19 kilometers), straight-line distance, or about 22 miles (35.5 kilometers) driving-route distance, from this location on the western rim of Endeavour Crater. Matijevic Hill is an area within the "Cape York" segment of Endeavour's rim where clay minerals have been detected from orbit. This view is centered northwestward, toward the crest of Cape York. It extends more than 210 degrees from left to right. The field of view encompasses most of the terrain traversed by Opportunity during a "walkabout" in October and November 2012 to scout which features to spend time examining more intensely. Two of the features investigated at Matijevic Hill are "Copper Cliff," the dark outcrop in the left center of the image, and "Whitewater Lake," the bright outcrop on the far right.

Photo: NASA

As NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity neared the ninth...

''Veins in 'Sheepbed' Outcrop'' This image of an outcrop at the "Sheepbed" locality, taken by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover with its right Mast Camera (Mastcam), shows well-defined veins filled with whitish minerals, interpreted as calcium sulfate. These veins form when water circulates through fractures, depositing minerals along the sides of the fracture, to form a vein. Mastcam obtained these images the 126th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's mission on Mars (Dec. 13, 2012).

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''Veins in 'Sheepbed' Outcrop'' This image of an outcrop at the...

''Scoop Marks in the Sand at 'Rocknest''' This is a view of the third (left) and fourth (right) trenches made by the 1.6-inch-wide (4-centimeter-wide) scoop on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity in October 2012. The image was acquired by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) and shows some of the details regarding the properties of the "Rocknest" wind drift sand. Beneath the crust surface, as revealed in the scoop troughs and the piles of sediment on the right side of each, is finer sand, which is darker brown as compared with the dust on the surface. The left end of each trough wall shows alternating light and dark bands, indicating that the sand inside the drift is not completely uniform.

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''Scoop Marks in the Sand at 'Rocknest''' This is a view of the...

''At Edge of 'Yellowknife Bay,' Sol 130'' In a shallow depression called "Yellowknife Bay," the NASA Mars rover Curiosity drove to an edge of the feature during the 130th Martian day, or sol, of the mission (Dec. 17, 2012) and used its Navigation Camera to record this view of the ledge at the margin and a view across the "bay." NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The mission's Curiosity rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL.

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''At Edge of 'Yellowknife Bay,' Sol 130'' In a shallow depression...

''Hello, MAHLI'' This image shows the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on NASA's Curiosity rover, with the Martian landscape in the background. The image was taken by Curiosity's Mast Camera on the 32nd Martian day, or sol, of operations on the surface.

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''Hello, MAHLI'' This image shows the Mars Hand Lens Imager...

''MAHLI's First Night Imaging of Martian Rock, White Lighting'' This image of a Martian rock illuminated by white-light LEDs (light emitting diodes) is part of the first set of nighttime images taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera at the end of the robotic arm of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity. MAHLI took the images on Jan. 22, 2012 (PST), after dark on the 165th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars.

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''MAHLI's First Night Imaging of Martian Rock, White Lighting''...

'High-Resolution Self-Portrait by Curiosity Rover Arm Camera' NASA's Curiosity rover used the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) to capture this set of 55 high-resolution images, which were stitched together to create this full-color self-portrait. The mosaic shows the rover at "Rocknest," the spot in Gale Crater where the mission's first scoop sampling took place. The base of Gale Crater's 3-mile-high (5-kilometer) sedimentary mountain, Mount Sharp, rises on the right side of the frame. Self-portraits like this one document the state of the rover and allow mission engineers to track changes over time, such as dust accumulation and wheel wear. Due to its location on the end of the robotic arm, only MAHLI (among the rover's 17 cameras) is able to image some parts of the craft, including the port-side wheels.

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

'High-Resolution Self-Portrait by Curiosity Rover Arm Camera'...

''View of Curiosity's First Scoop Also Shows Bright Object'' This image from the right Mast Camera (Mastcam) of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows a scoop full of sand and dust lifted by the rover's first use of the scoop on its robotic arm. This image was taken during the mission's 61st Martian day, or sol (Oct. 7, 2012).

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''View of Curiosity's First Scoop Also Shows Bright Object'' This...

''Curiosity Self-Portrait, Wide View'' On the 84th and 85th Martian days of the NASA Mars rover Curiosity's mission on Mars (Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 2012), NASA's Curiosity rover used the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) to capture dozens of high-resolution images to be combined into self-portrait images of the rover.

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''Curiosity Self-Portrait, Wide View'' On the 84th and 85th...

''Curiosity's Rock-Contact Science Begins'' This image shows the robotic arm of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity with the first rock touched by an instrument on the arm. The rover's right Navigation Camera (Navcam) took this image during the 46th Martian day, or sol, of the mission (Sept. 22, 2012). The rover placed the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument onto the rock to assess what chemical elements were present in the rock. The rock is named "Jake Matijevic" in commemoration of influential Mars-rover engineer Jacob Matijevic (1947-2012).

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''Curiosity's Rock-Contact Science Begins'' This image shows the...

''Wall of Gale Crater'' This color image from NASA's Curiosity rover shows part of the wall of Gale Crater, the location on Mars where the rover landed on Aug. 5, 2012. This is part of a larger, high-resolution color mosaic made from images obtained by Curiosity's Mast Camera.

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''Wall of Gale Crater'' This color image from NASA's Curiosity...

'''Snake River' Rock Feature Viewed by Curiosity Mars Rover'' The sinuous rock feature in the lower center of this mosaic of images recorded by the NASA Mars rover Curiosity is called "Snake River." The images in the mosaic were taken by Curiosity's Navigation Camera during the 133rd Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission on Mars (Dec. 20, 2012).

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

'''Snake River' Rock Feature Viewed by Curiosity Mars Rover'' The...

''End of Curiosity's Extended Arm, Full-Resolution'' This full-resolution image from NASA's Curiosity shows the turret of tools at the end of the rover's extended robotic arm on Aug. 20, 2012. The Navigation Camera captured this view.

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''End of Curiosity's Extended Arm, Full-Resolution'' This...

''Focusing the 34-millimeter Mastcam'' This image is from a series of test images to calibrate the 34-millimeter Mast Camera on NASA's Curiosity rover. It was taken on Aug. 23, 2012 and looks south-southwest from the rover's landing site. The gravelly area around Curiosity's landing site is visible in the foreground. Farther away, about a third of the way up from the bottom of the image, the terrain falls off into a depression (a swale). Beyond the swale, in the middle of the image, is the boulder-strewn, red-brown rim of a moderately-sized impact crater. Farther off in the distance, there are dark dunes and then the layered rock at the base of Mount Sharp. Some haze obscures the view, but the top ridge, depicted in this image, is 10 miles away.

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''Focusing the 34-millimeter Mastcam'' This image is from a series...

'Layers at the Base of Mount Sharp' A chapter of the layered geological history of Mars is laid bare in this image from NASA's Curiosity rover. The image shows the base of Mount Sharp, the rover's eventual science destination. This image is a portion of a larger image taken by Curiosity's 100-millimeter Mast Camera on Aug. 23, 2012.

Photo: Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems

'Layers at the Base of Mount Sharp' A chapter of the layered...

''Curiosity's Location During Arm Checkouts'' This scene shows the surroundings of the location where NASA Mars rover Curiosity arrived on the 29th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission on Mars (Sept. 4, 2012). It is a mosaic of images taken by Curiosity's Navigation Camera (Navcam).

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''Curiosity's Location During Arm Checkouts'' This scene shows the...

'''Bathurst Inlet' Rock on Curiosity's Sol 54, Context View'' NASA's Mars rover Curiosity held its Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera about 10.5 inches away from the top of a rock called "Bathurst Inlet" for a set of eight images combined into this merged-focus view of the rock.

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

'''Bathurst Inlet' Rock on Curiosity's Sol 54, Context View''...

''Sand Filtered through Curiosity's Sieve'' This image shows fine sand from Mars that was filtered by NASA's Curiosity rover as part of its first "decontamination" exercise. These particles passed through a sample-processing sieve that is porous only to particles less than 0.006 inches (150 microns) across. The view from the rover's Mast Camera looks into the portion box and "throat" of the Collection and Handling for In-Situ Martian Rock Analysis (CHIMRA) tool on the end of the rover's arm.

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''Sand Filtered through Curiosity's Sieve'' This image shows fine...

''Small Debris on the Ground Beside Curiosity'' This image from the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows a small bright object on the ground beside the rover at the "Rocknest" site. The rover team assessed this object as debris from the spacecraft, possibly from the events of landing on Mars. The image was taken during the mission's 65th Martian day, or sol (Oct. 11, 2012).

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''Small Debris on the Ground Beside Curiosity'' This image from...

''Panoramic View From 'Rocknest' Position of Curiosity Mars Rover'' This panorama is a mosaic of images taken by the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on the NASA Mars rover Curiosity while the rover was working at a site called "Rocknest" in October and November 2012.

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''Panoramic View From 'Rocknest' Position of Curiosity Mars Rover''...

''Rock 'Burwash' Near Curiosity, Sol 82'' This focus-merge image from the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on the arm of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows a rock called "Burwash." The rock has a coating of dust on it. The coarser, visible grains are windblown sand. The focus merge combines portions of eight images taken with the camera held in one position while the MAHLI focus mechanism moved for each of the eight exposures to capture features at different distances in focus. The images were taken during the mission's 82nd sol, or Martian day (Oct. 29, 2012).

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''Rock 'Burwash' Near Curiosity, Sol 82'' This focus-merge image...

This image provided by NASA shows the late-afternoon shadow cast by the Mars rover Opportunity at Endeavour Crater. The six-wheel rover landed on Mars in January 2004 and is still going strong.

However, in the press release announcing a “teleconference” that can be viewed above starting at noon, the agency says tantalizingly: “The Mars Science Laboratory project and its Curiosity rover are investigating whether conditions on Mars have ever been favorable for microbial life.”

I guess we'll have to wait awhile to know more about what Curiosity's drill has brought up. A NASA scientist said in the conference, "Stay tuned" without giving a timeline.